Trip Report
So how is skiing Mammoth Mountain on Memorial Day weekend?
Dates: May 25th-28th, 2018
How is it? Even on the driest of years, Mammoth Mountain consistently remains open until ‘at least’ Memorial Day (late May.) On massive years, they run the upper lifts until August… yes, a non-glaciated mountain that runs lifts until August. If I recall correctly, the years of August 1995 & 2017 to name a few. On a normal year, the goal is to run lifts through the July 4th weekend.
Memorial Day weekend is a hard one to forecast…some years it’s t-shirt slush skiing, some years, powder skiing bliss. This year, however, is looking to be one of the snowiest in recent memory with a massive amount of open terrain.
Last year, after six weeks of laying low rehabbing a badly sprained ankle, and finishing my coaching duties for the little league ‘regular’ season, I finally stepped into my skis for the long weekend.
With my two boys in tow (9 and 2 years old), we ventured from San Francisco over Sonora Pass and then down Highway 395 to good old Mammoth Lakes. With the weather calling for anything from a few inches of snow to blazing sun, we were not sure what each day would hold. The one thing we did know for sure is that we would be skiing, EVERY DAY in ANY CONDITION.
Over the four days on the hill, we encountered everything from skiing in fog, an inch or two of new snow, graupel, rain, suncups to perfect corn. The best skiing, in my opinion, was off Chair 23 in the Paranoids with best groomers being Stump Alley or the lower section of Chair 1. Luckily for our situation, Chair 11 (Discovery Chair) was still open and provided perfect laps with the two-year-old still figuring out that whole gravity thing. With a little help from the ski instruction professionals at Mammoth Mountain, I and my 9-year-old were able to ski everything on our list. From Dad’s descent of Philippe’s to my oldest eyeing up Climax and Dave’s Run.
Topping off each day included hot tubbing and ice cream with Dad… Can you really beat late Spring/early Summer skiing at Mammoth? So you know what to do, brush off that new IKON Pass and get up there!
Straight from school pickup in downtown San Francisco to Sonora Pass…
Time to stretch the legs and check out the snowbanks…
Day one began with some checking out the conditions…
A bit of foggy conditions have NEVER stopped anyone from skiing, right?
Hey, I think I see the chair in front of us…
The snow was perfect for carving turns…if you could see where to make them.
The sun poked out for a bit, so we went for some Stump Alley turns…
The next day provided some much-needed visibility…
Chair 23 provided the views…
Late season laps in the Paranoids are hard to beat…
The little guy brought his skis to the top of the gondola…why not?
Chair 1, however, was more his speed…
If you can’t beat them, join them…
‘Hey dad, little help here…’
‘When you see a tree, TURN!’
New snow in late May? Well, ok…
Blue skies and a dusting of new snow? I’ll take it…
Chair 23 is one of the most iconic chairlifts in the USA…
Time to schralp that wind drift eh?…
Clouds again? That didn’t last long…
Might as well go searching for something unique…
I had eyes on descending Philippes. Why? Why not?
All you have to do is ski to the crux and hike out, right?
Dad, I’ve never been so ready to ski. No, really…
The little guy made turns each day…
Skiing with your kids is the best, is it not?
You can’t come to Mammoth without documenting the size of the summit sign…
Dave’s Run was smooth as silk for late season snow…
Late in the day slush bumps are NEVER a bad idea…
After dinner, the kids took in some California ski history…
This kid is going for elevation awards on the summit of Mammoth Mountain…
Dad and his boys go for the token Mammoth ski photo…
Hard to beat those views eh?
Devil’s Postpile and the surrounding mountains…
‘Can you teach me how to ski like my dad? ‘Nope…’
The snow corned up nicely…
The Paranoids were buttery smooth…
Slash and burn is the name of the game…
When the racers leave, you get late in the day corduroy slush carves…
Thanks Mammoth, always a good ol’ time for some late season skiing…
We drove home through Monitor Pass…
Oh hey, Kirkwood Resort still holding top to bottom snow…
See you all there this year…
